Since the coronavirus hit us at the start of the year, our lives have taken a 180-degree turn. People are practising social distancing, and companies with delivery services have since taken precautions to reduce the risk of transmission, such as leaving deliveries outside the house and having limited to no physical contact with the recipients. 

The virus is known to transmit via respiratory droplets and touching your face after being in contact with contaminated surfaces puts you at risk. 

Being in a female-dominated company, one of the questions that was first asked in the office during the outbreak was: "Are our online shopping delivery packages safe from the coronavirus?" and "Will we have to disinfect them?"

Over the weeks, we've learnt that the virus can remain active on various surfaces for longer periods of time, depending on the temperature and humidity. According to National Institutes of Health researchers, they found that the coronavirus lived longest on stainless steel and polypropylene, with the virus lasting up to three days. As for cardboard, it can survive for up to 24 hours.  

In a post shared on Singpost's Facebook page, the company states that "coronaviruses typically cannot survive the shipping periods", and that "there is currently no evidence or cases to show that the Covid-19 is transmitted through imported goods." 

But if you're still feeling unsafe from the multiple hands the package has gone through just to get delivered to your doorstep, Huffpost has shared some tips for those who are kiasi.

Add a note for contact-free deliveries 

If you're on self-quarantine and want minimal contact with people, most delivery companies will be able to comply with your request of leaving the parcel outside the door.

If they require a signature to verify the parcel, you could ask the deliveryman to place the document outside your door while standing one metre away. 

Open the package outside

Watch on TikTok

Don't want to risk bringing the virus into your home? You could pick up a trick or two from TikTok user @marixbel on measures to minimise contact.

Using a litter picker take the parcel out of the letterbox, begin to disinfect the package and then using a glove, open the parcel to extract the contents. Throw out all the packaging and bring only the items indoors.

If the parcel is too big to unbox outside, make sure you clean the surfaces where the package touches in the home.

Leave it under the sun

Lest you think the above steps are too extreme, American actress Kristen Bell is among those who are taking similar precautions when collecting their deliveries. On top of these, she also shared on Instagram how "you can also opt to leave your external clothing outside if you live where there is some sun".

The sun cannot kill the coronavirus, but the ultraviolet rays and long hours of exposure from strong sunlight can kill other bacteria and germs that are present on it.

Wash your hands

By now, we should know that washing our hands is the easiest and most effective way to prevent transmission of the coronavirus.

So after carrying out the steps above, make sure you wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, or sing Happy Birthday twice for a thorough clean.

ALSO READ: Are packages from China safe from coronavirus?

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here

melissagoh@asiaone.com

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.